Daniel Barenboim Quotes

It is Israel's very existence as a sovereign non-Islamic entity in a land sacred to Islam and surrounded by Islam that creates the inherent tension between the tiny Jewish nation and the vast Islamic world.

Everyone should unconditionally accept that Israel is an indispensable element of the Middle Eastern mosaic.

For decades, the violence in the Middle East has claimed a multitude of innocent civilian victims: Men, women and children, Arab and Israeli.

We in the Middle East like to talk politics, we like to argue. Just look at the three prophets - Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. They are all from this small region which creates problems all the time.

The Iranians and the Syrians, sipping their coffee in their cafes discussing politics, want to fight the Israelis to the last Lebanese and the last Palestinian.

Forty million Arabs are going to push four hundred thousand Jews into the sea. And that's all there is to it. Oil—that is the side we ought to be on.

Despite all the conspiracies, Jerusalem and Palestine from the River to the Sea will remain Islamic until judgment day.

For thousands of years, we Jews have been nourished and sustained by a yearning for our historic land …. I believed and to this day still believe in our people's eternal and historic right to this entire land.

There should be a Zionist state around Jerusalem.

The Jews should be given control of Palestine.

The Intifadas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the rise of Hamas blame the Jews for all the misfortunes of the Arab people.

Israel, an embattled democracy, has been fighting terrorism for over 100 years.

You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.

It's clear Israel has suspended the peace process, despite the so-called moderation of the Arab world, because it has no interest in peace.

I've found that in places where women have not really been afforded full rights yet - for instance, in the Middle East - even very conservative politicians in the region will say, 'You know, my daughter would really like to meet you,' or, 'Would you send a note to my granddaughter?'

The Swedish government needs to understand that relations in the Middle East are more complicated than a piece of furniture from IKEA that you assemble at home.

The fact is, the Middle East has been going crazy for 50, 60, 70 years. So it's not like, 'Oh, I need an ISIS joke.'

I want the State of Israel to remain a Zionist, Jewish and democratic state. There is nothing 'far' or 'ultra' about those ideals. I also advocate the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

I love Israel, but I don't like it very much.

Israel is not a European country and doesn't consider itself as such.

I believe that much of Hollywood is confused about Israel.

Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East.

I support Israel to be a Democratic, Jewish and safe country.

Basically, I see Iran as an authentic nation-state. And that authentic identity gives it cohesion, which most of the Middle East lacks.

The way that Soviet intelligence tried to reshape the balance of power in the Middle East is essential to understand the developments that led to the outbreak of the Six-Day War.